Separator



M. P. WALLE June 9, 1942.

SEPARATOR Filed Nov. 30, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l Mum-mas. \Qakge A itomey June 9, P942. M. P. WALLE 2,286,132

SEPARATOR Filed Nov. 30, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 In vntor S MWLHAEWI Q \onkgs Atior ney Patented June 9, 1942 j UNITED. STATES PAT-E Nr OFFICE v SCI aims.

This invention relates. to separators especially adapted for removing soft and'fine-materials from hard and coarse materials, such as foundin various kinds of ores, and has for the primary object the provision of an efficient and inexpensive device of this character which is capable of abutments R ng gears flare secured on the body or housing 5iand are engaged by pinions l3 secured on shafts MJournaled in the cradle members lll and'on e of the shafts J4 may be conrapidly and thoroughly. separating materials of the kind specified by successively'subjecting said materials to fiuid bathsunder desired pressure and under constant agitation, the construction being such that the softer and finer materials are driven off of the coarse and harder materials and discharged from the device during the successive baths with the hard and coarse mate rials finally discharging from the device practically free of all fine and soft materials.

- With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as the'description pro-. ceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

nected to a power s'ource (not shown) 'in any well known manner 'so' that the body or housing may be rotated during the period of separation of the materials fromeach other. Certain of the shafts IQ and the pinions I3 thereof further act as supports for the body or housing on the supporting .structure.

At spaced intervals annular abutments 15 are secured in the housing or body to divide the latter into communicating multiple chambers. The abiltr'nents act to check the' movement of mate.-

ri al from the receiving end to the discharge v end of the body or housing so that said mat.e

Fora complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical ,sectional-view illustrating a separator constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary end elevation illustrating the discharge end of the device.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view partly in section illustrating the means for the discharge of the fine and soft materials. Figure 5 is a fargmentary transverse sectional ..most and an intakeend I disposed uppermost in which materials may be fed by gravitation from a sluice or trough 8. The cylindrical body or housing may be composed ofa series of sections or may be constructed as one unit and is mounted for rotation on a series of rollers 9 carried by the supporting structure which includes substantially u-shaped cradle members In mounted-on The cylindrical body or rial when'in each-chamber will receive a'thorough agitation due to the body or housing being rotated, the materials tending to follow the rotation of the housing for a certain distance and then falling by gravitation to the bottom of the housing. Every multiple chamber within the body or housing has a plurality of discharge slots for the finer and soft materials. The discharge slots are formed in the wallet the housing or body, as indicated by the character I6, and supported over said slots by perforated outer plates l8 removably secured on the body or housing is foraminous material H. The slots "5 are pref- 'erably located in close proximity to the abutments 15 so that the materials on leaving the preceding chamber will gravitate into the slots and the finer and softer. materials will pass through the foraminous material as well as the perforated plates andfall into a trough l8 carried by the supporting structure and located directly under the housing or body.

The abutments l5 divide the body orhousing 5 into a series of contiguous chambers C each of which-comprise a relatively short foraminous section in the cylindrical wall which is located substantially immediately adjacent each'annular abutment'on the lower side thereof Each chamber C also comprises a substantially continuous portion on the lower side of each foraminous section. Each foraminous section is made up of the slot I 6, foraminous material I! and perforated outer plates I8. The continuous portions adjacent the foraminous sections are designated by the reference character P.

' The trough l8 has a desired slope and at its lowermost end is provided with a discharge pipe IQ for carrying off the soft and fine materials to a desired place.

housing is a trough for carrying off to a desired place the hard and coarser materials.

Extending substantially centrally through the body or housing is a fluid pipe 2| supported by brackets22 mounted on the troughs l8v and 20 and is equipped with spray nozzles 23 for discharging fluid under pressure in spray form into the various chambers of the body or housing.

It is to be understood that the pipe 2| is connected to a fluid pressure supply of any well known character and is provided with a control valve 24.

The discharge nozzles 23 may be of different types or of the kind shown in Figured wherein an apertured plate 25 is secured on the pipe 2i by a clamp 26 so that the aperture thereof aligns with an aperture in the pipe. A suitable gasket '21 of the apertured type is interposed between the plate 25 and the pipe 2|. A curved deflector 28 is integral with the plate 25 for deflecting the spray of fluid downwardly in the chamber of the body or housing. I

It will be seen that the materials on entering the first chamber of the body or housing are given a thorough washing as well as a thorough agitation and as the materials accumulate sufficiently therein they pass into the next chamber by gravitation receiving a washing during their fall so that the fine and softer materials will be driven oil of the hard and coarser materials and driven through the foraminous materials and perforated plates into the trough l8 for final dissection where it is directly subjected to aspraying action and the clay passed through the foraminous section onto a receiving chamber. The foraminous section may be relatively short in order that the separating action of the cylindrical separator be efficient and the area thereof ingeniously utilizedin the most economical manner, for the major portion thereof is continuous and the amount of ball mill" action or attri-'- tion is at a maximum. -When those materials which are passed through the separator involve such a large quantity of clay material as to make for the formation of large balls of clay when the material is passed through ordinary separators, the action of the series of units within the separator in accordance with the instant invencharge by way of the pipe IS. The coarse and harder materials during their gravitation through the latter-named chamber are checked and again subjected to a bath under fluid pressure again loosening finer and softer materials from the hard and coarser materials. The baths continue as the materials pass from one chamber to another and each time the materials pass or gravitate from one chamber to the other said materials under, their gravitation are subjected to fluid under pressure and any soft and fine materials which become separated from the hard .and coarser materials are immediately discharged into the trough l8 so that the hard and coarser materials when finally leaving the body or housing are practically free of the soft and finer materials.

It is important to note that during each bath of the materials the latter receive a very thorough and eiiicient agitation which with the force of the fluid pressure thereon thoroughly removes soft and finer materials from the coarser and hard materials.

In each chamber C prior to each abutment l5 an action on the material passed through the separator takes place which is similar to the attrition which occurs in a "ball mill. The continuous portion P in each chamber C may also be referred to as an attrition section. The action of a new fresh water supply in the attrition section or continuous porton P helps to further disintegrate the material to be separatedand a repetition of this action in a successive series of similar operations occurs in the device. After the material to be separated piles over each abutment l5 it is passed onto the foraminous tion is such that the formation of large balls of clay is minimized or entirely eliminated in view of. the ball mill action or attrition sections being located on the upper side of each abutment and the location of the foraminous sections on the lower side of each abutment and the clay material is separated from the ore material or other "materials in the ball mill or attrition section and is'passed out through the separator after it spills over the abutment onto the foraminous section so that the clay material is separated from the ore material or other material with out the phenomenon known as balling up of clay material.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that minor changes on construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a separator, a cylinder mounted for rotation with its axis extending generally horizontally but with one end higher than the other, the higher end being adapted to act as the receiving end for the materials to be separated, a

series of two or more annular abutments within said cylinder, extending transversely of the interior thereof, a series of two or more relatively short foraminous sections in said cylinder each located substantially immediately adjacent each annular abutment and on the lower side thereof, the cylinder having continuous portions on the lower side of each of said foraminous sections,

means located below said foraminous sections for receiving separated material discharged therearated within said cylinder and over said foraminous sections.

5. The structure recited in claim 1 and means for'discharging water over said foraminous sections and over said continuous portions.

MICHAEL P. WALLE. 

